The jewel wasn't satisfied. Given how long the battle for its creation was, Kagome doubted it would ever be, and she wondered if Midoriko was forced to fight out of obligation.
It would explain why the jewel had formed in the first place. Maybe the miko just wanted to escape—to rest. Kagome couldn't imagine going on for that long without having something to protect. Had she grown weary of the battle? Had those who'd fought beside her eventually given up their adoration for the idea that her shield was an expectation?
Power took the form of resentment, and she saw the jewel glow with anticipation, quickly snuffing it out. "You've got what you came to collect," she said, yanking the string away from the slayer. "What more do you want from me?"
The truth.
Kagome groaned. "You've been inside my head multiple times," she said. "I doubt there's anything left in there that you don't know."
Not from you.
The smugness in its disembodied tone had her pausing, and the string shifted again, turning teal as the end bounced and tangled itself in Shippou's tail. Her expression softened as images of their victory against the Thunder Brothers played above his head, along with every treat she'd ever given him.
"Seems like you're more concerned with my happiness than anything else." She made a point of kicking off her shoes, no longer needing them. "Why not show me the bad memories instead of the cherished ones?"
To prove what you will be missing.
Heaving a sigh, she turned away, dragging the string with her. "I won't go back. It just gives me a reason to keep fighting. That's what you want." The string caught on something, causing her to trip, her hiss of pain drowned out by Kouga's boisterous claims.
Even those had her smiling. He was an idiot but a lovable one, and she truly hoped he found the partner he was looking for. She'd known from the beginning it wasn't her, though she'd let him continue to think so just to needle Inuyasha.
He deserved it after stringing her and Kikyou along and pitting them against each other.